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Josen heard Smith-Tang say that someone had asked him to save himself, and he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What did you say? Someone asked you to save me? Who is it?"
Smith-Tang looked at his watch and said, "Don't worry, he should be here soon. He will definitely bring you a surprise."
Not far outside the house, two cars approached from different directions on the road. The one behind was an old Pulsar. Both cars stopped in front of the house. Four rugged foreign men got out of the front car, their waists showing signs of bulging. From the Pulsar, a couple dressed as workers got out; they were none other than the disguised Qiao Qiang couple. The two followed the men into the house.
The door opened to reveal their son lying on a simple bed. The room was a mess, filled with instant noodles, takeout boxes, beer cans, soda bottles, and cigarette packs. He Zhixiang immediately burst into tears. Qiao Qiang felt a pang in his heart. Although their son had made his own choices that led him to this point, a significant part of the reason was due to their family or rather their parenting. Now they felt powerless; to secure their son's future, they had no choice but to send him overseas to live under an assumed identity. Even though the money they saved was enough for him to live comfortably abroad for the rest of his life, he had to endure the loneliness of being far from home and family. Qiao Qiang felt guilty towards his son, which made his heart ache.
Josen did not expect his parents to appear here, especially dressed as ordinary workers. In his impression, his parents were high-ranking officials from the Heavenly Pride Nation. Even prominent entrepreneurs in the province were only symbolically met in formal occasions; how could they associate with someone like Smith-Tang, who was involved in smuggling arms? He even doubted whether this middle-aged couple dressed as ordinary workers was truly his parents and found himself momentarily stunned.
At that moment, He Zhixiang was already in tears. She rushed over and sat at Josen's bedside, gently stroking her son's messy hair as she sorrowfully said, "Kosen, you have suffered! It's all because your parents are incompetent that you have to endure this suffering!"
Only then did Josen come back to reality and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion as he choked out, "Mom, Dad, how did you get here? What is going on? How do you know Smith-Tang? Did you ask him to save me?"
Upon hearing this, He Zhixiang trembled and turned to look at Qiao Qiang, opening her mouth but ultimately unable to speak. Qiao Qiang sighed and said to Smith-Tang, "Mr. Smith, could you please let us have some time alone as a family? There are some things I need to clarify with my son." The usually authoritative Provincial Party Secretary spoke with a tone of pleading.
Smith-Tang waved his hand generously and said, "You all talk among yourselves; we'll step outside for a bit. But don't take too long; we have agreed to leave at eleven o'clock." After saying that, he led those in the room out.
Filled with confusion about Qiao Qiang's words, Josen sensed that there seemed to be some sort of agreement between them and that they were about to send him away again without knowing where he would go. As soon as Smith-Tang and the others left the room, he immediately asked, "Dad, what is going on? Where have you decided to send me this time?"
Qiao Qiang moved a stool over and sat beside Josen's bed. Taking a deep breath to organize his thoughts, he sighed and said, "Well... Zhixiang, Kosen, there is something I have hidden for twenty years. I thought that matter had faded away with time, but only recently did I realize it is far from over; it is just beginning. It’s all my fault for making such a choice back then; now there is no turning back—regret comes too late..." Then Qiao Qiang began recounting in detail an incident from twenty years ago that he had experienced.
It turned out that twenty years ago, Qiao Qiang was just a secretary for a poor city’s municipal committee—full of ambition but lacking opportunities. Every day he either handled trivial clerical work or listened idly to gossip within the government compound; life was as stagnant as still water. At that time, Qiao Qiang had not been in politics for long and still retained some innocence and conscience; he despised those who would do anything to curry favor with leaders. Thus, for several years he had not had any opportunity for advancement or promotion until one day an opportunity arose: the municipal organization department decided to select a capable young person from within the committee to go down to a county for training as deputy county head. Everyone knew this was actually an opportunity for idle personnel within the municipal committee—a process where one would stay down there for a year or two merely to accumulate political capital; all promotions had to go through such a process; otherwise it would not be convincing enough—this was an unspoken rule in politics that everyone understood.
In order to secure the opportunity for this training, many people within the municipal committee employed various methods. However, the candidate had already been predetermined: it was the nephew of the Director of the Municipal People's Congress. To dispel rumors, they had to present a facade of fairness and transparency. Thus, the organization department of the municipal committee devised a ruse by introducing two candidates: one was the nephew of the Director of the Municipal People's Congress, while the other was Qiao Qiang, a secretary with no connections and who was unlikely to win favor with the leadership. Everyone knew this was merely a smokescreen, and it was not a clever one at that; putting forth a candidate with no competitiveness against the predetermined choice essentially turned Qiao Qiang into a mere tool in a game. Qiao Qiang was well aware of his role in this situation; he felt very frustrated but powerless, as he lacked sufficient connections.
Just when Qiao Qiang was lamenting his unfulfilled ambitions and feeling lost, an unexpected event brought him a glimmer of hope, as if a dying person had caught sight of a ray of life. This occurred while he was representing the municipal committee in hosting an overseas inspection team. His capabilities caught the attention of the team leader, Louis. Although Qiao Qiang had not received much recognition within the municipal committee for various reasons, it did not mean he lacked ability; on the contrary, he was quite outstanding among his peers. Therefore, it was natural for him to attract attention. The inspection team led by Louis belonged to a civil chamber of commerce from Y Country. Since there was no mention of investment intentions, the municipal committee did not place much importance on their visit; they only held a welcoming ceremony and a brief discussion at the beginning. After sharing lunch, all responsibilities were handed over to Qiao Qiang. Without constraints, he showcased his talents fully, and throughout the inspection period, the team expressed great satisfaction with Josen's arrangements and capabilities. At the farewell banquet, feeling uncomfortable about his situation in the municipal committee, Qiao Qiang drank a bit more than usual. Unexpectedly, Captain Louis interpreted this as Qiao Qiang being reluctant to part with the team after their few days together and insisted on taking him back to their hotel for further conversation.
Once at the hotel, Captain Louis acted like a caring father and inquired about Qiao Qiang's unhappiness. He mentioned that he had noticed Qiao Qiang's mood was affected by work-related issues and encouraged him to share his thoughts. Seeing Captain Louis's sincere attitude and realizing that they would be returning home soon—uncertain if they would ever meet again—Qiao Qiang felt there was no harm in confiding in him. Moreover, after having consumed more alcohol that evening and feeling slightly dizzy, he poured out his experiences at the municipal committee like beans from a bamboo tube.
After listening to Qiao Qiang's account, Captain Louis said to him: "Through these past few days of interaction, I can see that you are a very capable young man. If someone could help you in your career path, your future would undoubtedly be limitless."
Qiao Qiang himself knew this well; he had never doubted his abilities. Given an appropriate platform, he believed he could achieve remarkable success. However, lacking connections and unwilling to flatter nonsensical superiors made it difficult for anyone to assist him. Thus, he could only smile bitterly and shake his head: "Mr. Louis, you do not understand the political landscape of Heavenly Pride Nation; someone like me will never have an opportunity to rise."
However, Captain Louis's next words astonished Qiao Qiang: "Qiao, if you are willing to accept my arrangement, with your abilities and intelligence, I can help you ascend rapidly in Heavenly Pride Nation's political arena."
Qiao Qiang was bewildered by Captain Louis's statement; he could not comprehend what it meant for a foreign chamber of commerce organization to assist him in Heavenly Pride Nation's politics. He found it hard to believe but desperately wanted to trust what Captain Louis said because he yearned for success so much. Yet he also understood that there is no free lunch; if Captain Louis were to help him, there would surely be some cost involved that needed clarification since this resembled business dealings where mutually agreeable terms are essential.
Nevertheless, Captain Louis told Qiao Qiang that there was no need for him to repay anything at this moment; even if repayment were required later on, it might be years down the line—or perhaps it might never be needed at all since no one could predict what changes might occur years from now.
Such conditions intrigued Qiao Qiang; however, he remained uncertain about whether he should believe Captain Louis's words. What could he possibly do for him? It seemed Captain Louis could read his thoughts as he said: "I know you probably won't believe me, but as long as you are willing to accept my help, you will soon see results. I will return home tomorrow; after I do, someone named Smith-Tang will contact you and help you handle everything."
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